In-N-Out Ain't Coming to Dallas -- Not Yet, Anyway. But the Chain is "Evaluating" Sites.

It happened yet again. Late last week, a Friend of Unfair Park in the retail real-estate business heard that California-based In-N-Out Burger was "finally coming to Dallas." It was 'round this time last year that D's Nancy Nichols heard the same thing via a commenter on SideDish. Wasn't the first time someone engaged in a little wishful blogging; won't be the last.

But, no. Ain't happening. At least, not at this moment. Which isn't to say it the Irvine-based burgeria with locations in California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona won't make a move into the Dallas market at some point, just not any time soon. Still, Carl Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development for In-N-Out, knows precisely why these rumors keep cropping up every year or so.

"We are evaluating as part of our long-term growth planning a variety of markets, including Dallas, and part of that evaluation involves investigating sites," he tells Unfair Park. "We've been doing that, but no deals have been signed. We continue to look at and evaluate a variety of markets, but by no means are we coming there imminently. Just doing our long-term growth planning and evaluating ... and investigating some sites in the process. Again, nothing happening beyond that at this stage."

And now, about that Walt Disney development in Frisco ... or, perhaps, not.